Huge Password Bug in the ‘Root’ of the New Apple MAC OS

Apple rush to fix bug in passwords on latest MAC operating system

While Apple and MAC products might be resistant to viruses and malware, they are not invulnerable to all problems. Having recently released their latest operating system update, Apple was again keen to sing the praises of “High Sierra”. An unfortunate bug (or likely oversight) in the password protection has, however, caused an embarrassing problem.

In fairness, despite releasing quality products, Apple generally tends to experience teething problems on release. One of the more recent ones was an issue with YouTube draining batteries on their products well beyond a reasonably expected amount.

Apple has acknowledged the failure in the password system and have issued a statement via the BBC saying: “We are working on a software update to address this issue.”

At this point you might be asking, what sort of bug? Well, I don’t know how the person found it, but it is rather embarrassing for Apple.

The ‘root’ of the problem

The flaw in the password system was found by Turkish developer, Lemi Ergin. Now, as above, exactly how he found this out, I’m not sure. Mr Ergin did, however, discover that if you used the username ‘root’ with no passwords, after a couple of attempts, the new MAC operating system would let you in.

If this wasn’t bad enough, the ‘root’ username allows for unrestricted ‘admin’ access to the account. Apple has confirmed the existence of the bug in their “High Sierra” operating system, however, Mr Ergin has received some criticism for not being a little more discrete in his findings.

The reasoning behind ‘root’ is not known and while a fix will surely be on the horizon, it is a little embarrassing for Apple. Perhaps not as embarrassing of the sacking of the father over the iPhone X reveal, but still, not good news.

What do you think? A programming oversight or a deliberate backdoor? – Let us know in the comments!